It is becoming more common to use microprocessors, microcontrollers and the like in the electrical circuits found in automobiles to provide sophisticated control functions. One way to achieve this objective is disclosed in the co-pending application for U.S. patent Ser. No. 10/055,563 for “Scalable, Modular Architecture For Automotive Power Distribution And Body Control Functions,” filed Jan. 23, 2002, and assigned to Yazaki North America, Inc. Another way is to use a so-called “smart connector”; i.e., a connector which incorporates a chip to provide intelligence in the connector itself. This approach has involved the use of lead frames which are complex and costly.